30 Tips – How to Stay Safe on the Internet

There are so many different ways in which users can be exposed to malicious traffic while surfing the internet. Therefore learning how to stay safe on the internet should be a top priority for everyone.

For those of you who don’t know, I work in Information Technology (IT) and I regularly get asked questions like “How do I stay safe on the internet?” or “Why does my internet browser keep opening on a different homepage”. I also regularly hear about peoples email, social media or online banking accounts being hacked.

Unfortunately, most of the time people only realise their computer has been compromised when their bank suspends their account, or when the hacker has sent off messages to all of the users friends directing them to a malicious website.

Recently I have noticed a lot of peoples twitter accounts have been sending tweets or direct messages to other users with the message – “FYI this profile on twitter [LINK] is spreading nasty blogs around about you”. So rather than sitting by while peoples accounts were being compromised, I thought I would write a post, sharing a couple of simple tips for people to follow so they can keep themselves safe on the internet.

30 Internet Safety Tips

Whether it be a Virus, Malware or a Phishing attack – There are so many different types of malicious activities to be aware of when using the internet. Fortunately there are heaps of really easy things you can do to help keep yourself safe when browsing the internet.

Keep your computers operating system up to date

Keep your anti virus program up to date

If you use applications tat interact with your web browser (like Adobe Reader, Flash or Java) – Keep them up to date

Keep your internet browser up to date. Note: This is one of the easiest ways for an attacker to enter your computer

Don’t click on links from strangers, whether it be in your email on your Twitter/Facebook or on an untrusted website

Use an anti-key logger application and make sure it is always running (I use Key Scrambler)

Check links before you click on them. Do this by hovering your mouse over the top of the link and making sure it is going to where it says it’s going to. Here is an example of a dodgy link – www.Facebook.com (It says Facebook, but actually goes to Yahoo)

Use two factor authentication wherever possible, whether it be using a token (like RSA SecurID Tokens) or by having an SMS sent to your mobile phone that contains a code which allows you to enter your account.

Create difficult to guess passwords. Try to meet the following conditions when setting your passwords:

Longer than 8 characters

Use at least 1 upper-case letter

Use at least 1 lower-case letter

Use at least 1 number

Use at least 1 symbol

Example password – “Gu3ss_Th1s!”

Do not write down or email your passwords to anyone (Including yourself)

Research websites prior to providing payment details, not all online stores are legitimate. Note: An easy way to do this is to enter the shop URL into google and type “reviews” on the end of your search criteria. See what other users experiences have been like before using the site.

Ensure websites that ask you to enter a password or credit card details have “https” in the URL bar and that the certificate is verified. To check this the URL should start with “https://” then simply click on the padlock in your browser window and look for something like this –

Avoid “dodgy” websites that offer pirated media, software cracks and or pornography. Definitely don’t download any .Zip, .Rar or .Exe files from them, you will be asking for trouble

Only browse websites from within your sandbox (Avast or Sandboxie) or from a virtual machine

Avoid accessing banking and email facilities when using an open Wi-Fi connection like those provided at airports and fast food chains

When using wireless at home, be sure to use at least WPA2 encryption. It isn’t impossible to hack, but it takes a long time and is often not worth the hackers effort to break in (Tutorial – Setting up WPA2)

Don’t send anything in an email that you don’t want other people to read. Most emails are sent in clear text which means it is easily viewed whilst in transit

If something sounds too good to be true like – “I’m going to give you a million dollars, send me your bank details” it probably is, don’t believe it! No one is going to be nice enough to give you a million dollars. People still fall for these types of scams. Don’t be the next victim

Use multiple email accounts for different purposes. E.G. Important things like banking has one email account, funny email forwards and social media accounts have another email account. Never send emails from one account to the other and use different passwords on both!

Don’t use a debit card to pay for items on the internet. Always use a credit card or a service like PayPal. The reason for this is that credit card companies have to pay the bill for shoppers if they become an innocent victim of fraud. Whereas if you use a debit card then the fraudsters have your money and the banks are far slower at reimbursing you

If you see a website telling you that you have a virus, don’t click on the link. 9 times out of 10 this is a trick to get you to install a fake anti virus program. See this example

If you have children, be sure to install a tool like (Safe Eyes) to stop them from getting into trouble (More on this below)

Don’t assume you are safe just because you use a Mac or Linux Operating System. Although the chances of you being exploited are statistically reduced, you can definitely still be infected and Apple is notoriously slow at patching their products

Disable unused add-ons in your web browser by default. This includes high profile things like Java Applets, Java Scripts, Active X and Flash/Shockwave. Enable them only when you need them. If you are not sure how to do this simply google – “Disable Flash in Firefox”. Obviously you will have to insert the correct browser name and application into your search

Applications to Help Protect your Computer

In the tips above I mention a number of different software packages that are commonly used to help protect you when surfing the web. Here I will talk in a little bit more detail about exactly what each of these programs do and why you really need to have them all installed.

Note: I personally use all of the following products on mine and my families computers and they all have FREE VERSIONS available – with the exception of Safe Eyes. As Safe Eyes is a product targeted at protecting children online, I will likely use it when my son is old enough to use a computer.

Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is an Anti-Malware tool that will detect the following types of Malware on your computer.

Worms

Trojans

Rootkits

Dialers

Spyware

They have both a free and a paid version. The paid version is best, but having the free version is still better than nothing.

Malwarebytes has a number of different types of scans which are available. Including quick scan, full scan and flash scan. I recommend running at least a quick scan prior to making any purchases online, just in case you have picked up something dodgy on your computer. I recommend doing a full scan at least once a month – Note: A full scan can take a while to complete, go watch a movie.

There are plenty of other Anti-Malware tools available which will do a similar job, but I have found this one to be the fastest and the most effective at finding malicious programs (including just using the free version).

KeyScrambler

KeyScrambler is a great tool to help secure your web browser from key loggers that might be on your computer. It works by encrypting your key strokes as you type them on your keyboard. The benefit of this is that if a key logger is on your computer, all it captures is random encrypted characters which is of no use to the hacker. See the screen capture below.

What’s a key logger?

A key logger is a piece of software that hides on your computer and captures every single key stroke that you type on your keyboard. This information is then sent back to the hacker so that they can access your email or bank details without you knowing. KeyScrambler won’t disable any key loggers on your computer, but it will hide your real username and passwords by encrypting them. This means the hacker only gets to see random characters instead of your account login details.

Avast

Avast is a Anti-Virus product which has both a free and a paid version. The free version will provide basic protection from viruses and spyware, while the paid version provides you with firewall functionality and a virtual web browsing environment / Sandbox. I use Avast on my own personal computers as well as on family members computers that I build for them. It is fast and has a good track record of finding and removing nasty viruses.

What is a virtual web browsing environment / Sandbox and why do I need one?

A sandbox wraps your internet browser up in a virtual environment. This virtual environment has the effect of isolating your web browser from the rest of your computer. The benefit of this is that if your web browser is hijacked, it will close down and should keep your computer safe from the malicious activity. You should really never be browsing the web without this as it significantly reduces your chance of infection regardless of the types of sites you visit.

Avast also has a generic Auto Sandbox feature which allows you to run any suspicious programs inside of the Avast sandbox. This means that if a program is malicious and you run it in the sandbox, then there will be no harm to your computer.

Sandboxie

If you don’t feel like paying for the Avast Professional version to gain access to their virtual web browsing environment, then there is another application called Sandboxie that does essentially the same thing. I used to use Sandboxie all the time, however I have seen it have issues with Windows 7 where the browser stops responding (I have never had an issue with the Avast sandbox). Just remember to delete everything in your sandbox from time to time as it can collect all manner of malicious applications.

To clean out your Sandboxie sandbox simply right click on the icon in your task bar and select “Sandbox” … “Delete Contents“.

TDSSKiller

TDSSKiller is a free anti rootkit product produced by Kaspersky Labs. As this is a free tool I make sure I include this on any computers I build for my friends and family. It cleans up many different rootkits and is a super easy to use. Simply open it and click the “Start scan” button.

TDSSKiller will run through all the rootkits that it knows about and checks to see if your computer has been infected. This is the fastest of all the scanning programs I have mentioned in this post and it should only take about 1 minute to finish scanning.

ZoneAlarm

ZoneAlarm is one of the better personal firewall products on the market. It is owned by Check Point who are leaders in corporate firewall technology. The primary reason I like ZoneAlarm is because it tells you whenever something new is trying to enter or exit your computers network.

This can be really telling if you see a ZoneAlarm message pop-up telling you something is trying to access the internet when you aren’t doing anything on your computer. 9 times out of 10 it is something innocuous, but every once in a while it is some kind of nasty malware sitting on your computer trying to phone home.

OpenDNS

OpenDNS is a free Domain Name System (DNS) that translates a URL like [www.google.com] into an IP address like [74.125.237.113] and takes your web browser to the web server residing on that IP address. Normally your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will do this translation for you, but if you use OpenDNS you get a whole heap of added benefits like:

It blocks phishing websites (Phishing websites are sites that try and steal information off your computer)

I think a lot depends on if you grew up with computers and if you work with the regularly or not. All I know is that A LOT of people get stuck when it comes to IT and protecting themselves online, so hopefully this helps someone out.Glen recently posted..30 Tips – How to Stay Safe on the Internet

Thank you for sharing Glen. I thought updating your OS was weakening it, because multiple updates were not tested as thoroughly as the new OS release and generally fixing one thing only to break another.

Thanks for all those tips. My twitter was hacked and I hope I have don’t have any other problems, but I am not the smartest computer person and I don’t do all those things on my home computer. I will certainly install the ones I don’t have.Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..&#8220;Twas The Week Before Christmas&#8221;

Everything I listed has a free versions and that’s part of the reason why I used them in the first place. So I would recommend getting all the programs I listed and seeing what they are like and more importantly, what they find on your computer.
If you ever need help just give me a yell and I may be able to assist.

Thanks for the thorough list Glen. I am guilty of writing down my passwords because I just have so many of them that it can be easy to forget them. I use Avira for my antivirus and have the Malwarebytes paid version…it’s a must have in my opinion & only $25.John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..The Risks and Rewards of Taking The Plunge &#8211; Part 2

That was an incredibly thorough list of ways to stay safe on the internet. I predict a huge increase in the costs of online security as hackers tactics become more advanced.DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..20 Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions

Yeah, I put a little bit of effort into this post. I just hate seeing people get taken advantage of.
All the products I listed have free versions so it doesn’t have to cost you anything if you don’t want it to.

What an amazingly thorough list. I’m thinking about changing my anti virus from AVG to Avast, because AVG is slowing down my older computer like crazy! Does Avast use up a lot of resources?Jon recently posted..Easy tip on how to separate egg yolk and egg whites

Great list of resources, thanks for putting this together. I would add that when shopping online always make sure that when checking out, and entering your credit card info, that the url in the browser changes from http:// to https:// – think of the s standing for security meaning the site has gone through the correct steps to make sure your CC info is not compromised.Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping.com recently posted..“Dad, Does Our “Elf on the Shelf” Have a Penis?”

Wow, this is a better list than on any tech site I’ve seen! Nice job Glen! I’ve used Malwarebytes, Avast, Kaspersky and ZoneAlarm in the past. All very excellent tools. I also like BitDefender and Nod32. My favorite is probably Nod32 although even as we speak this computer has no anitivirus on it. Windows Defender is pretty decent for anyone who has absolutely nothing. I would con figure that as the first step.Veronica @ Pelican on Money recently posted..Sometimes It’s Better to Pay Up

Thanks Veronica! I appreciate the kind words
I also really like Nod32, but for this article I wanted to include only products that have free versions available as standard. That way everyone can be that little bit safer online without needing to pay anything.

Great post Glen! Very informative and hopefully something people will take seriously.

For passwords we have been using KeePass which is awesome. As well, you can ask it to generate unique keywords with all of the parameters you listed above.

It amazes me how many people access their bank accounts and other important data while sitting in an airport or from their hotel room or lobby. Ridiculous!

Another reason why it is so important to have a good virus scanner installed is that so many WordPress blogs are infected even though the owner isn’t aware and everytime you try to access their blog it tries to download a virus to your own computer. Those that keep visiting the same blogs and do not have a scanner letting them know that are now infected as well.Tackling Our Debt recently posted..How Eating Dark Chocolate Improves Your Health and Well Being

It’s amazing that people don’t use different passwords for different sites. It can be difficult to keep them all memorized though. I do write down all of my passwords, just because I have so many and I can sometimes forget them. However, it’s very well hidden in an unnaccessable spot in the house. I find that to be a better option than using the same password for everything.
Plus if you do use the same password for your e-mail and sites, people who have password information also have e-mail information. So it’s simple to crack.Justin@TheFrugalPath recently posted..Book Review: A Speeder&#8217;s Guide to Avoiding Tickets

Wow Glen. This list is awesome. I use most of these programs or similar ones to it. I think it is important to keep a secure computer and web browsing experience. This is probably one of the best and thorough lists I have seen in quite some time.Grayson @ Debt Roundup recently posted..3 Effective Tips on Personal Financial Management

These tips are great and most welcome but it makes an ideal case for installing some kind of parental control app also at home that prohibits kids from watching unwanted stuff. I already have one installed called Qustodio and I use it to block bad content as also watch who my son talks to on Facebook. It shows me the profile pictures of accounts that he interacts with. With measures such as these, I hope I can keep him away from such nasty stuff. You can Google for it.

Very informative and helpful, I can see how exhaustive effort has been put into this post. I know I am guilty of some negligence here, like writing down my passwords – so many I simply can’t remember all of them. Anyway, I already bookmarked this to review later, and check whether I have to change some of my security methods, too. Thank you, Glen!CreditDonkey recently posted..Thinking About Going Freelance? You’ll Have to Embrace Uncertainty

Wow! Glen you’ve done a great job. All the tips are really impressive and I’m pretty sure parents can do more now after reading your tips from your blog. I appreciate your efforts.Parental Controls recently posted..StealthGenie Announced Skype Monitoring Software

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